


Lines on Our Hearts

by briarandthunder



Category: Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:26:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29326980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/briarandthunder/pseuds/briarandthunder
Summary: As Ruby strolled down Main Street, she appreciated how Tutum Port had a certain quaint quality about it, a little hidden gem on the New England coast. Her job Glamor Ink Tattoo Emporium was supposed to be just that: a job. But little did she know, it would become something so much more.
Kudos: 4





	Lines on Our Hearts

“Hi, are you here for a training shift?” The woman speaking had deep purple skin and dark hair with little horns protruding out.

Ruby was, in fact, here for training. “Here” being Glamour Ink Tattoo Emporium. Today was Ruby’s first shift at a new job in a new city with a completely new life, so _obviously_ today was going to be just amazing. Amazing meaning totally and completely awful.

“Hi, um, yes,” Ruby said.

“Great! It’s Ruby right?” the woman asked. Ruby nodded. “I’m Nemu, but today you’ll be training with Aru.”

“Alright, and who is that exactly?”

“I’ll take you to them.” Nemu led Ruby to the person cleaning up their workplace in the corner.

They had dark skin and curly black hair pulled into a ponytail. They looked up with bright golden eyes and held out a hand. “Hello,” they said. Ruby took the hand and shook it.

“Hey Aru, this is Ruby,” Nemu said. “She’s one of the people training today.”

Aru opened their mouth to say something but they were cut off by the jingle of the doorbell. The three of them turned to see a lanky man with a few facial scars walking in.

Nemu went to greet him. “Hello, are you also here for training?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m Jess.”

“Perfect!” Nemu said, leading him their way. “Aru will be training you alongside Ruby here.”

At the sound of her name Ruby gave Jess a double finger gun and tongue click. The second Jess set his eyes on Ruby he started to scowl. He let out the most monotone “Awesome” Ruby had ever heard.

Ruby simply rolled her eyes and turned back to Aru. “So…” she pursed her lips together, “what’s first?”

“Let me start by taking you around the shop so you can get your bearings,” Aru decided.

Aru started off by showing them the main room with everyone’s stations, the few private rooms, and the bathrooms. Ruby noticed that Jess would stand uncomfortably far away from her in almost every room they went in. Did he think she’d have fleas? She tried to wave to him but he didn’t even glace back at her. Maybe he was shy. Or an asshole. Probably the latter. Next, Aru showed them the laundry and wash room, the storage rooms, and the break room. When they passed by the shop owner, Conkin Neos’s, office, Ruby noticed that he wasn’t in yet. Then Aru took them up to the front to show them the website on the scheduling computer.

“I don’t know if either of you have previous clients or connections, but if not you can always start off with some general consultations set up through the website, so make sure you’re up to date on your own scheduling.” They turned and added. “You’ll also want to send in some photos of your previous works to Conkin at some point today; he’ll be able to set up a page for you both.”

Ruby actually did have several previous clients; however, she was new to the city and didn’t know anyone yet. One of the reasons why this particular shop was so enticing was because they were good at setting up connections, something Ruby needed to get started on fast.

Lastly, Aru showed them where their own workstations would be. Each workstation had a set of cabinets, a desk, and a chair structure. They were all tucked in corner-like areas to give a calmer working environment without completely cutting them off from the main room. The only two currently available stations were right next to each other and Ruby internally groaned at having to spend her time around this stuck up dingbat.

“So for your training today, you’ll both sit in on a consultation with one of us, then a sit in on a short session, and then learn how we clean our tools. After that, check in with Conkin and you’ll be free to go.”

Ruby and Jess both said their thanks and sat down at their respective stations. Ruby looked up at the clock and saw there was 15 minutes until opening, so probably about 10 minutes before anyone started showing up. Plenty of enough time to get personal with her workspace and do some basic warm up sketches.

Within the next 5 minutes, a woman with mousy brown hair and brown eyes walked in, and then a short skinny guy with orangish brown hair. They both sat down at their workstations and started getting ready. The first customer to walk in was a cowboy looking man, with boots, jeans, and a belt. Perhaps she was imagining it, but Ruby swore she could smell the booze radiating off him from across the room. Nemu went up to the counter to check him in and then he went toward the mousy haired woman’s station. She greeted him warmly and then walked toward Jess.

“Hi, I’m Nola,” she said. “Are you Jess?” Jess nodded. “Cool, I was told you would be shadowing my first consultation, we’re gonna head into one of the back rooms.”

“Oh, alright.” Jess stood up and left.

Ruby watched him go and then snapped her attention back to what she was working on. So far she had several sketches of basic geometric designs, and started working on a concept for a wave made out of triangles. She felt very tense, pretty nervous for her first day considering she actually had offers to other places in the city. She was a good artist in a new field with high demand. But then again, she was also in a brand new city where she didn’t quite have her footing yet. Well, that makes it seem like she ever had her footing. Truth be told, she came all the way up to Massachusetts to try to find whatever footing she could. Anything was better than her family estate back in Florida. She resorted to drawing sea turtles, playing with shapes and lines and making a few single line drawings. Ruby could draw fairly well and was also a good tattoo artist, but the one thing she managed to capture the best was abstract pieces. Something about how they were simple, yet also filled with so much that was left unsaid just felt very poetic. And damn, did the public love it, enough to gain her quite the following back in Florida.

Ruby was so engrossed in her art that she didn’t even notice Aru until they were standing right in front of her.

They cleared their throat to get Ruby’s attention. “I just wanted to let you know that my first client will be arriving soon, it’s a consultation, and so you get to sit in on it.”

“Alrighty.” Ruby gave a thumbs up and a thin-lipped smile. “Let me know when they get here.” She looked back down at her work.

“Ah, well, the client’s almost here, I was going to ask you to come wait with me….” Aru trailed off.

“Oh, yeah, right,” Ruby snapped her tablet shut, trying not to blush. “I’ll just follow you then.”

Aru led her over to their work station. “You can just sit down here, until the client arrives and we’ll bring her in together.” Ruby nodded her head sheepishly, sitting down into the chair. “Her name is Donnie, and she’s here for a new magical wing tattoo I helped design. It allows the wearer to transform it into real wings.”

Ruby’s eyes lit up. “Real wings? Like ones that let you fly?” Aru nodded. “Insane; how on earth did you do that?”

“Oh, lots of technical magic know-how combined with some sturdy inks.” Ruby raised her eyebrows and nodded, egging them on. Egged on, Aru sat down and splayed their hands on the desk, their Explanation Mode™ clearly activated. “The ink itself is made from magically created wings that have been liquified and stabilized. When someone focuses their energy on the tattoo it transforms back into the original wings. Sadao and I, that kid over there with the orange hair, we developed it. He’s really crafty with magic experimentation, which is probably why Conkin was so eager to pay him full wage even though he’s an intern.” Aru sighed. “I wasn’t paid when _I_ was an intern.”

“Hm,” Ruby tried to sound sympathetic to their plight, but was far too curious to keep it up. “Have you tried it out on anyone before?”

“Yes, I’m actually the first test subject.” They gestured toward their back with their thumb.

Ruby’s eyes lit up. “Oh my god, really? That is so cool, can I see?”

Aru’s eyes shot around the room, clearly trying to avoid the question. The front bell rang, “Ah, that will be Donnie,” and Aru immediately leapt up to greet the customer.

Ruby pivoted around to get a look at Donnie. Short and curvy, she wore an elegant smile that gleamed of mischief and fun. Her heels clicked brisky on the tile as she strode toward them.

She greeted Aru with a kiss to their cheek. “Ah, Aru, darling, how have you been?” Her voice was smooth and thick like molasses.

Aru cleared their throat. “Fairly well—a little busy, but that’s to be expected.”

“Oh, how good, not adding fuel to the fire yet then?” When Aru furrowed their eyebrows, Donnie smiled and patted their shoulder. “Oh, never mind that; who is this dear?” She gestured to Ruby.

“Hi—uhh, I’m Ruby, I’m training today and I’ll be hanging out with y’all today if you don’t mind.” Ruby held out her hand but was instead greeted with a kiss on the cheek as well.

“Not at all dear. It is truly lovely to meet you,” She turned to Aru with wide eyes. “Now, shall you lead the way, or shall I?”

“Allow me,” Aru said with a small smile, holding out their elbow for Donnie to hold onto. Ruby could tell they were really fond of Donnie but somehow in the most subtle way possible.

As they entered the room Aru pulled the seat out for her.

“A dear, per usual,” Donnie said, her dress floating around her as she sat. She turned to Ruby. “Me and Aru know each other from Blue House Bar. You see, I’m one of the queens on staff; we host shows every Friday night—you two should both come sometime! I’m certain you would find our performances ravishing. Anyhoo, when Aru told me about their new tattoo design I thought it would go just perfectly with my look that I have going on.”

“Speaking of,” Aru said. “What sort of tattoo were you thinking about getting?”

”What I had in mind was perhaps three sets of wings down the back,” Donnie started. “I feel that would really pop on stage, no? I’ve been performing with costume wings for several years now, but the straps always get in the way, and balancing in them is an absolute nightmare!”

“Tell me some details and I can sketch out something preliminary for you,” Aru said.

As Donnie explained her ideas to Aru, Ruby noticed her own foot bouncing. She always seemed to do that and her mother always reprimanded her for it. (“ _Don’t move unnecessarily, it makes other people nervous. Do you do that while you’re tattooing someone? Honestly, Ruby, it’s not the kind of thing that inspires confidence in an artist now is it?_ ”). Aru, however, was the epitome of customer service, leaning in slightly and listening intently, more polite than Ruby could ever dream of being. It was honestly a little odd considering they had chosen to work in the tattooing profession, it’s not like it was known for being an overly polite field of work. There was a certain crudeness to tattoos, the pain associated with being invasive to the skin and all. But at the end of the day, that crudeness gave way to something delicate and beautiful. Maybe Aru’s finesse was actually perfect for the job.

“Alright, how do you like this?” Aru held up their sketch to Donnie. It was a black art tattoo of three elaborately detailed wings that were reminiscent of art nouveau design.

Donnie held her hand to her chest and gasped in delight. “Yes, that looks wonderful, exactly what I was thinking! I knew you’d be a good person to come to.” She sighed wistfully. “Humankind is so inspiring, fascinating really, coming up with all these beautiful, brilliant inventions. Transforming tattoos! And who knows what it will do for this little shop, certainly not you all.” She chuckled to herself.

“Well, I’m glad you like it.” Aru stood up and held out their hand to help Donnie up. “I’ll see you in about a week for a follow up.”

“Hopefully it wont be that long,” Donnie said, taking Aru’s hand and heading out the door. “Alright, my loves, I will see you later. Oh, and Aru, darling,” she turned back with a playful glint in her eye. “I’m very excited for you to show me the finalized design.”

“I’ll send it to you as soon as it’s ready,” Aru said, waving as she left.

Donnie waved back on her way out. “Have a lovely day you all—I know you will!”

Ruby laughed as she waved goodbye, shaking her head, and sat down at her desk. She would _definitely_ be going to see the Friday night drag show soon. As of right now she was in the mood to draw something inspired by Aru’s wing design. She picked up her pencil just as someone walked up to her desk.

“Hey, Ruby!” the mousy brown haired woman, Nola, sat down in front of Ruby’s desk. “I have an appointment in about 5 minutes that you can observe; do you have a few minutes you have a spare minute so that I can fill you in?

“Uh, yeah, sure!” Ruby put her pencil down. She would find the time to draw the wings later.

“Awesome!” Nola clasped her hands together. “So, the client. His name is Redied Noz, he’s a long time customer of mine. My designs are very colorful, enough that I don’t even use lines sometimes, here let me show you this one on my wrist I designed. So this kind of style takes quite a bit of preparation but its also necessary to be flexible with it, you gotta be chill. Anyway, Redied really likes this style and comes to me a few times every year, wherever I am, asking if I can do another one. He gives me quite a bit of creative freedom with it, and this one all he said he wanted was something that looked like a peacock, so this is what I drew up.” Nola pulled up the concept art on her computer and Ruby gasped.

It was a peacock, that was for sure, but it was also so much more than that. The peacock was delicately colored in a way that looked like a galaxy and there seemed to be little stars freckled everywhere. The style was water color adjacent, but far with far more rich and saturated colors. It took the regality of peacocks and turned it up 10 notches.

Ruby reached out to trace her fingers over it. “That’s amazing, I can’t even believe how many colors you have on that thing.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Nola said. “It’ll go on the back of his shoulder and be about 4 inches across. It should take about an hour if I can be quick.”

“Wow, that fast?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty fast at coloring, I get a lot of practice. And most of my detail is in the color, so I don’t waste too much time on linework once I get the stencil on.” At the sound of the doorbell Nola looked up and smiled. “Hi, Redied, how have you been since I last saw you?” She stood up to greet him.

“Not bad, not bad,” He said, shaking her hand with a smile. Redied was a tall, lanky man, with greying hair and smile lines across his face. If Ruby had to guess, she would say he was the type to have grandchildren and spoil them rotten. Poking out of his shirt collar and sleeves she could see a few colorful tattoos that seemed vaguely like the peacock one Nola designed for him; definitely some of her past works.

“This is Ruby,” Nola said, waving a hand toward Ruby. “She’s a new employee learning the ropes around here; I hope you don’t mind if she shadows me while I ink you up.”

“Oh no, not at all,” he extended a hand to Ruby. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ruby gave a polite smile and shook his hand, definitely feeling a lot more like a kid than she actually was. “Good to meet you too.”

“Okay, would you like to head back or stay here for the tattooing?” Nola asked “You might need to take off part of your shirt but you can probably just unbutton and it’ll be fine.”

“I’m alright staying here,” Redied said. “It’s no big deal.”

“Perfect.” Nola pulled all the prep stuff out while Redied unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulder. They small talk about the weather and what they’ve been up to, but truthfully, Ruby didn’t hear a word of it. Nola went through the usual prep, putting on gloves, sanitizing the area, taking off the hair, sanitizing again. That’s a good sign when people sanitize twice, there are crusty parlors that like to cut corners and will only clean once. Who knows where else they cut corners. Back at her old job, Ruby had to clean up a few tattoos that had been destroyed by infections. It was grotesque enough to ensure she would never even set foot in a tattoo parlor without checking its reviews online first. After prepping the area, Nola wet the area and applied the stencil sketch, making sure she got the last okay before proceeding. Logically, Ruby knew these were all very important parts of the process, but frankly, Ruby was simply bored. When Nola started prepping the machine it got a little more interesting. She got out far more colors than most people would even consider using.

On the other side of the shop she heard Aru say something along the lines of, “They’ll be here any minute and you can observe the process.” They presumably said this to Jess. Ruby forced herself to focus back on Nola.

Nola just turned the machine on and started, not bothering with line art but instead going straight into color. It was a little mesmerizing to watch, the color set down like a wave across the skin, and then she moved on to another color, and then another, each one perfectly complimenting and adding to the last. She put some colors on top of others, letting them blend in ever so slightly but not enough to destroy the integrity of either color. It was definitely some of the best coloring Ruby had ever seen in her life. There was also a sort of shimmer to the color that set in after a few minutes of being inked in, probably some magical effect. It gave the whole tattoo a sort of 3D look to it, like it was ever so slightly popping off the skin. And then when she added the stars, it all folded together, really adding depth to it all. And they even seemed to flicker like real stars, somehow emitting light. Ruby made a mental note to figure out how exactly Nola managed to do that. Lastly, she did the line art, which felt extremely backwards to Ruby, but hey, if it works, it works. She didn’t even fully outline anything, just added small accents of structure that added just the right amount of pop. And then she was done. It took slightly over an hour, just like Nola said it might, but it looked extremely worth it. The finished product was absolutely stunning, it truly looked like Nola had somehow captured the galaxy and put it onto Redied’s skin.

“So, how do you like it?” Nola said, holding up a mirror for Redied to get a good look.

“I love it; you really outdid yourself this time,” Redied took the mirror and admired it at different angles. “Damn, it looks good.”

Nola laughed. “Thank you, I’m glad you like it. Do you want me to snap a picture of it before we get you bandaged up?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Redied held out his phone and Nola snapped a picture, okaying it with him before taking her own picture, presumably to keep in her portfolio. She then started dressing it; applying ointment, a bandage, and some tape.

“Okay, it looks like you’re all done here, I can take you up to the front to check out and give you the aftercare instructions,” Nola said. “And Ruby, thank you so much for watching, you can go ahead and go back to your desk now.”

“Got it, thanks,” Ruby said. She made her way back to her desk and opened up her computer. Now seems like as good of a time as any to look through her photos of her past works and weed out all the ones of bad quality. After seeing the talent of everyone else in the studio, it was kind of hard for her to look back at her past works and not feel a little inadequate. Sure, her illustrative design fit a niche market really well, and her creative and unique abstract pieces were sought after, but… now it just looked a little plain. Not super magical like Aru and Sadao’s tattoos or full of bright color like Nola’s tattoos. She wondered what kind of tattoos Jess might specialize in. If her luck continued he would be an amazing artist with renowned works, but she hoped his designs were slightly more plain than hers. Not too plain, just a _little_ worse than Ruby’s… it would be a confidence boost.

As if he was summoned by Ruby’s thoughts, Jess appeared back at his work station. _Maybe he’s not so bad_ , Ruby thought. _Maybe he’s just a little awkward. And okay, so he seems grumpy, that’s no reason to hate him._ She turned around to look at him only to see him on his phone. Not amazing workplace etiquette but that might just be her mom’s voice in the back of her head talking, and that’s one person she’s not keen on following.

“Hey!” Ruby perked up. “So what’s up with you?” It looks like Jess rolled his eyes.

“Nothing at all,” he said dryly, not even looking up from his phone. He wasn’t even scrolling or typing he was just… staring at the screen.

“Awesome,” Ruby with a nod, dragging herself back to facing her desk, muttering under her breath, “Nice talk.”

She resumed weeding out her bad photos, occasionally getting distracted and messing with photoshop a bit to tweak the lighting. She let her mind wander. Maybe she could learn a new discipline or two while she worked here, she was actually pretty decent with manipulating magic into tattoos, and color is close enough to abstract art, right? She started doodling some concepts based on her old art and new inspiration. Was she done sorting through her photos? No. But did she have the rest of the day to do that? Yes, it could wait.

She must have gotten lost in her thoughts because the next time she looked at the clock it said only 30 minutes until their lunch break. Just then, Aru popped their head out from the back.

“Ruby, Jess, can I borrow you for a quick second?” Aru asked, motioning for them to head over.

Ruby looked over at Jess for a quick second, who’s scowl only seemed to deepen. She rolled her eyes and walked to where Aru was by the hallway to the back.

Aru motioned for both of them to follow. “Alright, so the last thing you guys need to shadow is the cleaning of tools,” they said as they walked. “As you can tell, all of our tools are owned by the shop and in very good condition. This is due to the cleaning protocols surrounding the cleaning. Of course you will wash every tool after every use, but we have a special routine when doing so to try our best to prevent wear and tear in the tools.” They arrived at the laundry room and headed to the back where a row of sinks and racks stood. “We do more magical tattoos than non-magical and so we can only use a select few products…” they went on about the different soaps to use and when, and Ruby tried her best not to let her mind wander, taking mental notes. Aru finished one tool and was about to start on the explanation process again.

“Actually,” Ruby interrupted, “sorry, I just—would you mind if I practiced once? I learn better with my hands.” She wiggled her fingers at them.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Aru said. “Jess, why don’t you try as well. There are only a few tools left.”

Both Jess and Ruby put on gloves before getting to work, delicately scrubbing and following along to Aru’s play by play instructions. It was a lot of steps to remember but luckily the soaps were in order so it didn’t feel like too much of a hassle.

Once Aru finished with their tools, they took off their gloves. “I’ll leave you two to finish this up to get some practice in, I have some stuff I need to finish up before lunch. Just lay the tools on a towel on the drying rack when you’re done.

“Alrighty, got it,” Ruby said as they left the room.

As soon as Aru was out of earshot Jess sighed. Ruby darted her eyes toward him briefly but said nothing. _Grouch_ , she thought.

“Good job, you got us doing chores on our first day,” he said sarcastically.

Ruby scoffed. “Wow, I didn’t realize you were so anti-helpful.”

“I would just call it knowing when to mind my own business.”

“Ah, well, don’t let me be the one to stop you from minding your own business, it’s not like I’m trying to do this job correctly or anything.”

Jess huffed. “Yeah, I knew you’d be annoying.”

Ruby rolled her eyes so hard it felt like she could see her brain. Why did the only other new coworker have to be such an ass?

They finished cleaning in silence and let them air dry on the towel on the rack, just like Aru had asked. When they walked back into the main room they found Aru

“Have you finished?”

“Yup, it’s all air drying on the rack,” Ruby said. “All we have left is to meet up with Conkin and then we’re free to leave right?”

“Yes, that’s it,” Aru said. “I think he’s free right now so you can go ahead and go in. I’ll see you both tomorrow then.”

“See you tomorrow!” Ruby said warmly as she and Jess started toward the back.

Ruby had only met Conkin Neos, the owner of the tattoo shop, once before for her interview, but they had exchanged a few emails. From what she could gather Conkin was definitely a peculiar man, not like any boss Ruby had ever had before. For one, his entire office was covered in pictures of a giant mastiff dog, presumably his, that seemed to tower over him in size. When he was conducting the interview, Ruby definitely got the sense that he was a good businessman—one had to be in this profession—but he seemed less concerned in her previous experience and more on her personal life, like why she came to Tutum Port, why she left Florida, if she has any pets or roommates, what she likes about Glamour Ink, stuff like that. He had offered her a job before she left that day, and while she did say she had to consider her options, this place was her first choice and there really was no decision to be made. When she had accepted the job, Conkin had remarked about how well he thought she’d fit into the group dynamic and how she could really bring a lot to the table. “We’re like a family here,” he had said, “and I think the whole crew would be glad to welcome you to it.” It seemed very homely, just the kind of local business Ruby could really get behind. God forbid she ever work for a chain of any sort.

“Do you want to go first, or…” Ruby looked toward Jess, who had already leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone. “Right, okay.”

Ruby knocked on the door and it opened almost immediately.

“Ruby, hello!” Conkin said with a big grin as she walked into the room. Ruby smiled and gave a small wave. “Please sit.” He motioned to the chair in front of his desk and Ruby sat in it. Conkin then went to his desk and raised the chair on the way up. You see, Conkin Neos was a short man, like really short, about 3 feet in height, so a raising chair is kind of necessary if he wanted to meet anyone in the eye. However, he did make up for his short stature In loads of personality. Still, getting on one knee to meet your boss’s eyes is definitely an adjustment. “So, how was your first day?”

“It was cool,” Ruby said. “All the people here seem really funky; it was fun shadowing them.”

“Well I’m very glad you enjoyed it,” Conkin said. “I trust that Aru showed you the rigorous cleaning methods? I trust that they were best equipped to show you the detailed process.”

“Yeah, it was definitely detail.” She laughed to herself then cleared her throat. “I’m sure it keeps all the equipment in tip-top shape, though.”

“Yes, if there’s anything that is absolutely necessary in this kind of environment it’s sterile tools. Tattoo infections can get pretty nasty, and they only get worse when you add magic into the mix.”

“Yeah…” Ruby grimaced, thinking back to some of her own failed experiments. “I just hope I managed to make a good first impression on everyone, they all seem really talented.”

“I’m sure you did great,” Conkin said lightly. “Just so you know, I like all my new employees to do a shadow shift even if it’s unnecessary.” His smile glinted as if he were sharing an inside joke. “It’s simply a formality that tends to help you all feel more welcome.”

“Yup, definitely feel very welcome,” Ruby said, leaving out, _minus the other new employee, who is, in fact, an asshole_.

“Great, I’m glad to hear it! Well, do you have any questions for me?”

Ruby shook her head. “Um, nothing that I can think of, but I’ll be sure to email you if I do.”

“Okay then, thank you so much for meeting with me, you can go ahead and send Jess in on your way out.”

Ruby stood up from her chair and held out her hand to be shook. “Alrighty then, thanks again.”

Conkin took her hand. “You’re very welcome; I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning!”

“See you!” Ruby turned to leave.

“Oh, and don’t forget to email in your photos to me so we can put them on the website,” Conkin said as Ruby opened the door.

“I’ll do it as soon as I get home,” Ruby said through the doorway, letting Jess walk past her and into the room.

Ruby went to her work station to gather her things and as she was about to head out Nemu walked up to her.

“Oh, Ruby, before you leave we’d like to add you to the group chat we have,” she said. “Can I have your phone number?”

“Oh yeah of course,” Ruby said, setting her things down and pulling out her phone. She pulled up her number and showed it to Nemu.

“Got it!” she said when she was done. “Just send your name in the chat so that everyone can add you in their phones.”

“Okie dokie. And can I see your phone to add in everyone else’s numbers?” Ruby said as she sent the text. Nemu handed her the phone with the names pulled up next to their respective numbers. As Ruby was entering them in she glanced at the group chat name. “Goofballs? Is there a story behind that name?”

Nemu shrugged. “Honestly I think we just named it that because it’s what Conkin tends to call us when he walks in on us doing something dumb.”

“Hm, that’s cute,” Ruby said. “You know what I just realized? I’ve gotten to work with pretty much everyone else and learn their specialties but you. What’s like, your _thing_ here?”

“Oh, I’m actually not a tattoo artist, I do piercings.”

Ruby nodded big and slow. “Ah, that makes sense.” At the sound of a door opening, Ruby looked to see Jess striding toward his work station. Deciding she did _not_ have the energy to deal with him again today she took the exit she had. “Well, I’ve got to get going, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow!” Nemu said, turning toward Jess to presumably get his number as well.

Sure enough before she had even left the block a text entered the chat that simply said “Jess.”. She rolled her eyes and stuck her phone in her pocket. She figured there’s always got to be one rude co-worker, Jess seemed to take that place willingly.

Honestly, Jess was the only downside Ruby had really come across in Tutum Port. Well, besides the fact that she’s in a brand new city that she doesn’t know her way around yet and it feels like every other interaction she has with people makes her want to crawl into a hole in the ground. But that was all just normal new town stuff that would go away with time. It’s better than still being cooped up in Florida.

It was about a 15 minute walk back to her apartment, not too long but not short enough that she couldn’t enjoy the scenery. As Ruby strolled down Main Street, she appreciated how Tutum Port had a certain quaint quality about it. Right around the tattoo parlor there was a coffee shop, a diner, a bookstore, and a bakery, all leading to a cozy atmosphere. The summer was also very pretty on the New England coast. It was still early enough that she could wear jeans and not feel like she was baking in the heat, where in Florida even wearing shorts would make you feel sweaty and gross at this time of the year. The trees around here all had a bright, fresh set of leaves on them, rustling in the wind that carried birds across the sky. There were a few clouds in the sky that the sun peeked out of like it was shy, casting down a comforting warmth. It was all extremely picturesque, something one might see in a movie. Even her apartment complex looked endearing, which was surprising considering how low the rent was. Tutum Port really was just a little gem hidden on the New England coast.

The door to her apartment was locked, which was understandable considering both of Ruby’s roommates had jobs, but she was hoping that one of them might be there so she could rant about the exhausting yet mediocre day she’s had. She dropped her things haphazardly on the couch, telling herself she’d finish up sending in her self-advertising as she ate lunch.

Ruby opened the fridge and looked around briefly and looked around, not really feeling anything in there. She sighed and went to the pantry, coming to the same result, before going back to the fridge. It seemed like a sandwich and fruit kind of day. She got out all the stuff absentmindedly and slapped it together, carrying it to the couch and setting it down on her lap. Almost immediately Minimus, her grey tabby cat, jumped up. He was a stray that Ruby somehow managed to find herself attached to, and she took him up to Massachusetts with her.

She scratched underneath his blue collar. “Hi Minnie, were you feeling lonely?” Minnie purred in response and settled himself at Ruby’s side. For a stray, he was extremely well behaved. Well, at least around Ruby, it seemed that anytime Ruby didn’t like someone, Minnie didn’t either. Smart cat.

As she popped a strawberry in her mouth she opened her phone and texted the roommate group chat that she was done with work for the day. Ruby’s work bag sat next to her, a silent daunting task she simply didn’t have the energy for staring right at her. Resigning to send in her photos after she finished lunch (she will!), she turned on the TV and scrolled through channels, eventually muting it and going back to her phone. She scrolled through her apps, feeling bored and restless, debating on downloading Tinder. Ever since she had her heart broken by her high school crush, she had been debating downloading the app, hopeful it might bring her more viable options than falling in love with her best friend. Astrid and Ruby knew each other basically their whole lives, but they became really good friends in boarding school. And then she finally, _finally_ , kissed her the summer after graduation, before they got caught by Astrid’s parents. Apparently they had instilled the fear of homosexuality into Astrid, because the next week Astrid was finally let out of the house and she promptly came over to Ruby and told her how she planned on choosing to live a straight life. Whatever the fuck that meant. Then, Astrid went to culinary school in the area and Ruby started training to become a tattoo artist. They didn’t talk or see each other again until the day before Ruby moved. Astrid came by to say that she could never be what Ruby can be, all cryptic like, and wished her well. It was a good thing Ruby never got that bow and arrow tattoo inspired by Astrid, she would have definitely regretted it. Still, she couldn’t help but love Astrid, even for all her faults, god knows how many Ruby has herself.

Eventually Ruby decided against Tinder, knowing it would just be awkward and messy. She threw her phone on the couch and picked up her sandwich. _Well,_ she thought, _new cities are always hard. At least this is a start._

**Author's Note:**

> thank you beta readers, i love you and owe you my life <3


End file.
